The invention relates generally to anti-theft systems for bicycles and, more particularly, to such systems which utilize an alarm to deter thievery and have remote capabilities. The system utilizes a motion sensor to respond to attempted theft of the bicycle and is cryptically mounted on a bicycle component or accessory so as to be out of the field of view of the would be thief thereby preventing tampering with the system.
With the proliferation of bicycling as a leisure time activity and sport, bicycles have become increasingly more sophisticated. The introduction of bicycles specialized for uses such as mountain trail riding has opened up more markets for bicycles and increased demand for bicycles and broadened their appeal. This has produced an increasingly larger market for relatively expensive bicycles. The use of more sophisticated metals and materials has produced more efficient and effective bicycles. This has also produced a demand for bicycles which have the capabilities of such technologically sophisticated bicycles but which are priced relatively inexpensively. Consequently, this burgeoning demand in combination with the high retail cost of such bicycles has caught the attention of both amateur and professional thieves. Since, unlike automobiles and motorcycles, bicycle ownership does not require title registration or license plates, the theft, sale and use of stolen bicycles is difficult to trace and prove in court. Consequently, bicycle thieves and (as well as) purchasers of stolen bicycles are not likely to be unduly worried about apprehension or conviction for such crimes. As a result, a black market for stolen bicycles has proliferated.
In an attempt to thwart theft of bicycles, many types of theft protection systems and device designs have been marketed. The most popular of these systems and devices have included a lock. However, since many of these locks can be pried open or cut open with a hacksaw, the designers of such systems have sought to include harder materials or make the lock more inaccessible to pry or cut open with conventional tools. Nevertheless, all of these lock systems can be defeated with the proper tools and sufficient time to use the tools.
Other types of anti-theft systems rely on an alarm to thwart attempted theft of a protected bicycle. Such systems typically use a motion sensitive device to respond to attempted theft of the bicycle. An example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,310 to Miller. The Miller device is designed to be clamped onto the bicycle frame. However, a primary disadvantage of the Miller system is that it is completely exposed to view of would be thieves and is readily identifiable as an alarm system. Consequently, such systems are vulnerable to tampering.
Other types of theft protection systems have remote capabilities for alerting the owner of the bicycle who may be at a remote location. An example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,847 to McGregor. The McGregor system is designed to be clamped onto the bicycle frame and utilizes a motion sensor and an alarm. Thus, a would be thief who attempts to pick up the bicycle or ride it off would activate the alarm and likely scare off the thief.
Other types of bicycle anti-theft alarm systems are designed to be compact and thus are specifically designed to be mounted on bicycles which inherently have space and weight limitations. These systems are thus less easily discernable from other bicycle accessories and components and consequently less likely to be tampered with than other more conventional bicycle anti-theft alarm systems. In addition, their lighweight and compactness make them less likely to hamper use of the bicycle. Two examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,667 to Ames and U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,596 to Sirman which both utilize motion sensors to respond to actions constituting attempted theft of the bicycle on which used.
However, a primary disadvantage of these prior art alarm systems for bicycles is that they are all positioned within the clear view of passers-by and thus also would be thieves. This gives thieves the easy opportunity to study such systems and determine how to disable them. In addition, since the alarm system is in clear view of the thief, the thief also has the opportunity to determine how to detach the system from the bicycle and thereby misappropriate the system for his own use or for resale. Since there is a strong demand for bicycle anti-theft systems and many bicycle anti-theft alarm systems are expensive, there may be such a strong black market for such alarm systems that misappropriation of such alarm systems might be more profitable than misappropriation of the bicycle.
Another disadvantage of these prior art alarm systems for bicycles is that they all rely on scaring off the thief by means of a presumably loud alarm. However, such an alarm may not discourage some thieves who may not think that there is anyone in the vicinity who would be willing to or able to take the necessary action to stop the theft. In addition, for some thieves, stealing a bicycle while its alarm is blaring may add some desired excitement or challenge to the thievery thus making stealing a bicycle equiped with such an alarm system more desirable.
The above described systems do not completely protect either the bicycle or the anti-theft systems per se from thievery. Instead, the easy visibility of such prior art systems due to the fully exposed characteristic of conventional bicycles makes them particularly vulnerable to tampering as well as theft. In addition, these prior art systems are not able to alert the bicycle owner (particularly if at a remote location) to an attempted theft who would typically have more incentive to thwart the attempted theft than bystanders and passers-by. What is therefore needed is an anti-theft system for bicycles which has remote capabilities for alerting a bicycle owner who may be at a remote location. What is also needed is an anti-theft system for bicycles which is cryptically located on the bicycle in order to conceal its existence and thereby its accessibility to tampering and its availability for theft from would be thieves.